Signs tout the upcoming Las Vegas Idol singing competition to be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Las Vegas High School theater. Photo by Gregan Wingert/R-Jeneration
Stepping onstage as the audience falls silent in anticipation you notice your heart jump a few beats. With a spotlight blazing in your eyes and the first few notes beginning to play, you realize that now is your chance to be an "Idol."
This is merely a daydream for many teens, but for 21 Las Vegas High School students it soon will become a reality.
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"I don't ever get nervous before a show," says Idol contestant Ariel Knight, who won second place in the Las Vegas Idol contest last year.
Knight, a senior, has high hopes for this year and says she is not intimidated by her competition. She still is deciding which songs to perform, she says. "I am spontaneous. I just go with whatever comes."
On Thursday, the Las Vegas High School PAL Program (Partnership At Las Vegas), a student internship program, will host its second annual Las Vegas Idol, where students such as Knight will compete for not only the title but for a first-place prize of $100.
This competition isn't any old talent show. These students will be facing three rounds of elimination and three judges who will be taking on the personas of Randy, Paula and the infamous Simon.
During each round contestants will sing one song and be critiqued by the three judges, all of whom are Las Vegas faculty.
"I had a lot of fun slamming those kids," says history teacher Ray Ortiz, who played Simon last year. Ortiz remembers looking out in the audience and seeing the principal booing at some of his remarks.
"A lot of people were really rude to me afterwards," Ortiz says.
This year Ortiz will be playing the part of Randy and plans to do that by tapping into what he says is his "ultra coolness." The part of Paula will be played by theater teacher Shannon Moser, and this year's Simon has yet to be announced.
Some performers such as senior Joshua Huynh are just in it for the fun.
"I'm not really expecting much because competition is hard," Huynh says. "I just decided to try something new. I thought it would be fun."
Yet more students have their eye on the prize.
"It would mean a lot to me actually," says senior Krystal Ellison, who has participated in choir for six years and plans to perform all three songs a cappella, including her first number, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye.
Contestant Karla Luna, a senior, says she loves the energy and vibe she gets from a large audience. "I get more scared and clammy and nervous and stuff in front of two people."
Luna currently is a member of Las Vegas High School's Select Women's Choir and has been performing for years. She sometimes sings with and competes against her older sister Raina Sanchez, who won the Las Vegas Idol competition last year. Sanchez will be opening this year's show.
Sanchez tried out for "American Idol" but did not make it past the preliminary stage. Both sisters plan to try out for next season.
Luna is not the only one with years of experience.
"I've been doing it for so long. I've been singing since I was 3," says junior Michael Hughes, who currently is in Las Vegas High School's Spectrum Choir.
"I usually don't do a lot, so I decided to do Idol," Hughes says. "It would be a joy to win Las Vegas Idol."
Shauna McNabb, PAL teacher and Idol organizer, says the competition gives all students an opportunity to display their talents, especially the students who aren't in choir. "It is exciting because none of us know who is going to win."
Las Vegas Idol will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Las Vegas High School theater. Tickets are $5 at the door.
